romney has been running around the country for the last year, promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. >> reporter: but in the audience, many of the president's supporters expressed bewilderment at his passive performance last night. >> i felt like he should have been more aggressive. >> i didn't understand the strategy. i thought, you know, i wondered what was going on. >> reporter: sources tell abc news the president's strategy was a calculated decision not to risk appearing un-presidential by attacking romney on, say, that video insulting 47% of the country as irresponsible victims. his aides advised him to focus on policy, such as romney's effort to distance himself from his own tax proposal. >> for 18 months, he's been running on his tax plan, and now five weeks before the election, he's saying that his big, bold idea is "never mind." >> reporter: but now, top democrats and liberal pundits bemoan a missed opportunity. >> i don't know what he was doing out there. he had his head down. he was enduring the debate, rather than fighting it. >> it looked like rom

reluctance to go into detail about his policies. for instance, he has not indicated what tax loopholes he would close to pay for his tax cuts. they hope he will be pressed on this wednesday night. we go now to david muir traveling with the romney campaign. >> reporter: hey, jake. good evening from denver. the debate two days from now in this city. mitt romney will appear a short time from now at a rally right behind me. his campaign today acknowledging he will spend most of his time hunkered down, preparing for the most important night of his political career. the debate stage coming together here at the university of denver, where governor romney will stand on the same stage with the president for the first time. romney flying here from boston today, along with a team of top advisers with whom he's practiced extensively. in early september, he spent days at this secluded retreat in vermont. then, more practice in los angeles. then, just this weekend in boston. and playing the role of the president in those mock debates, senator rob portman of ohio. portman taking pointed shots at romney

they can justify raising taxes on the middle class that's been buried the last four years. >> reporter: paul ryan pounced. >> vice president biden, just today, said that the middle class over the last four years has been, quote, buried. we agree. that means we need to stop digging by electing mitt romney as the next president of the united states. [ applause ] >> reporter: the vice president later said that the middle class pain was due to bush policies. that romney and ryan want to repeat. the debate symbolizes a problem for the president. even though the economic collapse happened under bush, four years later, families are still hurting. many in the middle class are barely treading water. all guaranteed fodder for tomorrow night's debate in denver. the first lady is making her way there. first stop in ohio. >> are you fired up? >> reporter: where early voting began today. >> are we going sit back and watch everything we worked for and fought for to just slip away? >> reporter: ann romney got to colorado before her. >> we have a debate coming up. we're excited about that. we're focuse

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